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6
HEALTH EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS
Miss D. S. Elliott, S. R. N. , H. V. Cert. , Dip. K. E. - Health
Education Officer:-
"Why" said the Dodo "the best way to explain it is to do it"
Lewis Carroll
Secondary Schools
Last year a meeting was arranged for the Heads of Science
Departments of Secondary Schools to discuss the integration of
the Community Health Course in the normal school programmes,most
of the lessons to be given by the school staff. It was agreed
that three lecture demonstrations using the material suggested
should be given by the Health Education Officer in the Technical
College during 1960. These sessions, attended also by the
School Inspectors, were held during January, February and March
and were introduced and supported by Dr. S.L. Wright with whom
the teachers discussed many questions. The theme was developed
that traditional health policy has always been to make the environment
fit the man, but that now there were circumstances in
which man needed to be helped to adapt himself to his environment.
Sets of lecture notes and visual aids on these subjects
were issued too. Following the meetings the Health Education
Officer began visiting each school with the School Inspector,
talking to the staffs and listening to lessons concerned with
health. In future help will be available with new material and
facts and already many requests have been received to give some
of the talks.
In order to keep in touch with children of this age the
Health Education Officer continues to give the full Community
Health Course in Ashburton Secondary School and St. Andrews
School (Mixed).
Grammar Schools
A year's programme was completed for the sixteen to seventeen
year old girls in the sixth form at Coloma Grammar School. The
Community Health Course was given by a Health Visitor during the
Autumn Term 1959, the British Red Cross Society first year Home
Nursing Course was given by the Health Education Officer during
the Spring Term and a Mothercraft Course was given by another
Health Visitor during the Summer Term. This experiment appears
to be so useful that advice was given to the school on the purchasing
of all the necessary Home Nursing equipment for future
courses, when it is also proposed to enter the classes for the
British Red Cross Society examination in home nursing.